Various types of rotary wing aircraft have been developed having particular performance and mission capabilities. In order to improve the performance or capability of a traditional rotary wing aircraft, such as a single rotor or tandem rotor helicopter, the rotary wing aircraft must be installed with compounding features like wings, thrust engines, propeller, rotors, sensor systems, or weapons systems on the aircraft itself. Installation of such compounding features requires significant modification to the rotary wing aircraft and adds complexity, cost, and weight. Such compounding modifications also increase the required installed power of the rotary wing aircraft.
Accordingly, those skilled in the art continue with research and development efforts in the field of compounding rotary wing aircraft to improve performance and mission capabilities.